“They Shot the Piano Player” Opened Festival do Rio Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal’s “They Shot the Piano Player” opened Festival do Rio
Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal’s “They Shot the Piano Player”, the animated story of a music journalist (voiced by Jeff Goldblum) on a quest to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of a young Brazilian piano virtuoso, Francisco Tenório Jr, was the opening film of Festival do Rio on 5 October 2023.
Based on a true story, it was the first time an animated film has been chosen to open the festival.
The musical feature, from the creators of “Chico & Rita”, is not only an homage to the life of Tenório Jr. but also a celebratory origin story of the bossa nova movement, capturing a fleeting time bursting with creative freedom at a turning point in Latin American history in the ’60s and 70s, just before some South American countries were engulfed by totalitarian regimes.
The film casts some of Brazil’s greatest musical figures, from João Gilberto to Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Vinicius de Moraes, Paulo Moura, and others, all of them giving heartfelt testimony to the enormous talent and vision Tenório Jr. had and shared with them. Rio de Janeiro itself is also a major character in the film.
From the response of the opening night audience, many of whom were happy to admit they knew very little about Tenório Jr, the film should do very well when released in Brazil.
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